You're listening to a podcast from the BBC World Service. This is Hard Talk with me, Stephen Sacker.

Thanks for downloading this edition of the program. I do hope you enjoy it.

Welcome to Hard Talk on the BBC World Service with me, Stephen Sacker. This time last year,

my guest today, Simon Cheng, was a locally hired employee at the UK consulate in

Hong Kong. When mass protests erupted in the territory aimed at China's plan to introduce a

controversial extradition law, Mr. Chen reported on some of the protests for his UK employer.

Later last summer, he was arrested by Chinese officials when trying to return to Hong Kong from a trip to Shenzhen in mainland China.

He was detained in China for two weeks and he says interrogated, physically abused and required to sign a false

confession. Mr. Cheng never returned to Hong Kong. He's now seeking asylum in the UK and has become

an activist in exile in the pro-democracy movement. Right now, Hong Kongers are braced for the imposition of

Chinese national security laws in the territory, a measure which appears to run counter to the

one country two systems principle underpinning Hong Kong status. So is it too late to stop Beijing imposing its system and its will on Hong Kong?

Well, Simon Cheng joins me now. Welcome to Heart Talk.

Nice from me, you, Stephen. You have been through a truly extraordinary year. One year ago,

you were living a normal life in Hong Kong. Today we sit together

in London your status uncertain. What is your current situation here in the UK? Well, I'm now come

to London using the Working Holiday Visa that is the TFI Youth Mobility Skin, that is de facto working holiday visa.

And now I'm applying the political asylum from the Home Office.

I'm waiting for a result and it's going to be have a result by late June.

You're in essence, you're a political exile, aren't you?

Yeah, yeah, you can say that.

I just wonder, now that you look back on everything

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